When a person desires to learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels attached thereto, it has long been the practice for a second person or trainer to support the bicycle and its rider in order to maintain the rider's balance by grasping the handlebar and/or the seat of the bicycle and walking or running along side the bicycle as the rider peddles. This, however, is extremely awkward and uncomfortable for the trainer and may be dangerous for both the rider and the trainer in the case where the trainer loses his or her control over the moving bicycle.
Accordingly, various guidance apparatus have been developed to permit a trainer to control the balance of an inexperienced rider during training. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,096 provides an apparatus comprising an elongated tubular shaft attached at one end to the seat tube and brake bridge of a bicycle frame and having a handle element mounted at the other end. The handle-bearing end extends behind and above the bicycle seat. The shaft is attached to the bicycle frame by two U-shaped bolt/bracket assemblies. However, this apparatus has the disadvantage of being connected to the bicycle at a point well below the center of gravity of the combined weight of the bicycle and rider. Therefore, the trainer must exert significant effort to maintain the bicycle and rider in an upright, balanced position as he or she struggles against natural forces of gravity when the rider tilts or loses balance completely.
Moreover, the grip in U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,096 is in a perpendicular position relative to the back of the rider, which causes the hand position of the trainer to be horizontal to the ground. It takes more effort to control balance with this hand position and to control the speed of the bicycle during training. Thus, this prior art apparatus includes a hand-brake attachment to assist in stopping the bicycle or controlling its speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,638 provides an elongated tube apparatus which is connected at one end by a clamping mechanism to the bicycle frame at the upper rear wheel fork, and which carries at the other end a handle which is perpendicular to the tube. The tube and its handle are pivotable relative to the bicycle frame in the up and down direction and in the sideways direction in order to permit the trainer to hold the bicycle upright without having to stoop during riding of the bicycle. However, this apparatus also suffers from having a point of attachment to the bicycle which is not proximate to the center of gravity of the bicycle and its rider, and it is therefore difficult to control the bicycle as the rider leans from side to side.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,955 provides an adjustable, two part apparatus which is attached to a bicycle either at the collar of the seat tube or to the seat itself. The first part of the apparatus is an attachment means having a receiving portion. When rider training is to ensue, the second part which is a tubular shaft is inserted into the receiving portion of the attachment means and is locked in place. If the training apparatus is to be attached directly to the seat, the seat must be provided with a suitable attachment means, such as a clip disposable through a slot formed in the seat. This adjustable, two part apparatus is comparatively sophisticated in design, which would make it more costly to produce. In addition, the apparatus does not provide any more control over the balance of the bicycle and rider than the prior apparatus discussed above. The handle extends too far behind the rider and thus requires more force to correct the balance of the bicycle and its rider.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,726 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,750 show further variations of a bicycle rider training apparatus connected to the frame of a bicycle, but do not provide any greater control than those devices predating them. For example, the training device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,726 places the trainer too far behind the rider and does not attach to the seat tube. It also has the disadvantage of making the trainer raise their arm too high and in an awkward position, further limiting the trainer's control of the bicycle.
The training device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,750 is flexible and is attached to the rear wheel fork. It has the disadvantage of being flexible and thereby potentially unstable with a tendency to overcorrect for loss of balance while a child is tilting to one side or the other. Its attachment to the rear wheel fork, away from the seat tube, also contributes to limited control by the trainer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,093 provides a bicycle rider training device which is attachable to a bicycle at three points on the bicycle, namely, to each side of the rear bicycle wheel and to the bicycle frame itself. This apparatus has the disadvantages of being difficult to attach and remove and, while the multiple attachment points improve control over the prior devices, the apparatus does not solve the problem of the center of gravity of the bicycle and rider. Moreover, the position of the handle grip places the trainer's hand in an awkward non-physiologic position and forces the trainer either to hold his arm out or get closer to the bicycle where potential interference with the pedaling of the bicycle may occur.